Package with integral handle



Ju y 7, 1954 c. c. FREEMAN PACKAGE WITH INTEGRAL HANDLE Filed April 9, 1951 rzzjerzz ar'x Patented July 27,1954

UNITED STATE TENT OFFICE PACKAGE WITH INTEGRAL HANDLE Application April 9, 1951, Serial No. 219,928

2 Claims. 1

The present invention relates to a paperboard carton for packaging a row of articles including an open-ended article, and more particularly to such a carton having integral means for holding the open-ended article in desired position and providing a carton handle.

Briefly, the carton of the illustrated embodiment of the invention is intended to hold three articles such as two cans with a tumbler disposed therebetween. The carton is in the form of a tube open at opposite ends and of a cross section corresponding generally to the vertical sections of the articles, and includes suitable means to prevent the end articles from moving out of the carton ends. The top wall of the carton has a pair of flaps formed therefrom which are foldable inwardly to engage the open end of the tumbler and hold it against undesired movement. The flaps in this case are formed to have their end edges engage the inner surface of the tumbler and have tab portions formed at their ends to facilitate swinging of the flaps into the tumbler without mutilation or excessive deformation thereof. The flaps when swung out of the plane of the wall provide apertures of sufficient size to admit a thumb and finger partially into the carton for grasping a handle portion provided by a part of the wall extending between the flaps. Suitable display apertures, either separate from or merging with the fla apertures, may be pro- L vided in the carton side walls to allow inspection of the tumbler and facilitate insertion and removal of the articles.

By this invention, a carton is provided which is particularly adapted to hold an article with an open or recessed end against substantial movement therein so as to prevent damage to the article, and which has an integral, non-projecting handle provided by such article-holding means. The invention may obviously be em ployed to provide the article-holding means without requiring the provision of the handle, and conversely may be used to produce a handle without the article-holding means.

It is an object of the invention to provide a carton having integral means for holding in desired position therein an open-ended article. Another object is the provision of a carton for packaging a plurality of articles including an open-ended article, which has integral means for holding the open-ended article against undesired movement therein. Still another object is the provision of a carton having an integral handle formed from a wall thereof which does not extend outwardly of the wall. It is a further object to provide a carton having integral means for holding an open-ended article therein and also providing a handle for carrying the carton. Another object is the provision of a package comprising a plurality of articles including an article with an open end and a carton for the articles having integral means to maintain the openended article in desired position. It is also an object of the invention to provide a blank for a carton such as to attain the above-stated objects.

Other and further objects, advantages, and features of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art from the following description together with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a carton according to the invention with its contents inserted therein;

Fig. 2 is a slightly enlarged transverse verticle sectional View taken substantially as indicated by line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a somewhat reduced fragmentary longitudinal vertical section taken substantially as indicated by line 3-3 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a slightly enlarged fragmentary plan of the carton as shown in Fig. 1, with the securing flaps folded inwardly; and

Fig. 5 is a reduced plan of a blank for the carton of Fig. 1.

Referring to the drawings, the carton of Fig. 1 is formed from the blank l0 shown in Fig. 5, which comprises a sheet of paperboard cut and scored to provide in serially connected relation a pair of side wall panels I l, a to wall panel I2, a bottom wall panel l3, and a glue flap 14, the panels [2 and I3 alternating with the panels II. The glue flap is hinged on the bottom panel l3 at one end of the blank, and one of the panels I I is the terminal panel of the blank ID at the other end thereof. The two side wall panels II are substantially identical, while the top and bottom wall panels [2 and It also have substantially the same dimensions. The terminal, panel ll may thus be folded on its line of connection with panel i2 and the panel l3 may be folded on its line of connection with the other panel ll so that flap I l lies against the free edge of the terminal panel H for adhesive or other suitable securement thereto. This folding and securement of the blank It! provides the carton in flatly collapsed form for economical shipping and storage. Each of the panels [2 and i3 has generally semicircular locking flaps i5 hinged on its end edges.

A pair of securing or positioning flaps 16 are formed in the top wall panel l2, each being connected to the panel along a fold line H defining one edge portion of the flap and separated from the panel for the remaining portion of its edge by a suitably shaped cut 18 extending from one end of the fold line to the other. In the present embodiment the flaps l6 have the general shape of a trapezium, each flaring from the fold lines I! to a free edge portion parallel to the fold line, although they may assume any desired shape. The flaps 16 have tab portions [9 defined at their ends by fold lines 20 extending from the ends of the fold lines IT to the central portions of the free edges parallel to the lines 17. The fold lines I! are shown as parallel to each other and extending longitudinally of the top wall panel l2, defining between them a handle portion 2| which is an integral part of the panel and located centrally thereof, the flaps [6 extending laterally from this handle portion in opposite directions. This arrangement need not be adhered to specifically in order to achieve many of the advantages of the invention. Display apertures 22 are provided centrally of the side wall panels I i. If desired, these apertures may extend into the top wall panel 12 and terminate at the flap fold lines 17, as indicated by the dotted lines 23 in Figs. 1 and 5.

When a carton is to be used, it is set up from the collapsed form previously described to the form of a tube open at both ends and of substantially rectangular cross section, and the locking flaps l are folded to extend interiorly thereof. The articles to be contained by the carton are then inserted through the open ends, being disposed in a row. In the present case, the articles are a pair of cans C of common cylindrical form with the usual sealing beads, flanges, or chimes at their opposite ends, and a glass tumbler T of barrel shape. The two cans are disposed at the ends of the carton, with the tumbler between them. As appears clearly from Fig. 1, the height of the side walls H is substantially equal to that of the cans C, and the width of the panels l2 and I3 is substantially equal to length of the carton is less than that of the row of articles, each can projecting partially out of an end of the carton. The cans are held against movement out of the carton by the flaps R5, the edges of which abut against the interior surfaces of the portions of the can flanges or chimes within the carton. The tumbler T substantially fills the space between the cans and prevents excessive movement thereof inwardly of the carton, but some play is unavoidable because suflicient room must be provided to permit the inner sides of the cans to pass inwardly somewhat beyond the ends of the flaps l5 when initially inserted in order to be properly engaged by the flaps.

To hold the tumbler against undesirable loose movement in the carton and prevent its becom ing chipped or cracked at its rim or bottom as a result of tilting against the cans, the positioning flaps I6 are provided. These flaps are folded inwardly from their positions in the plane of the top wall .I 2 to extend into the interior of the tumbler with their end edges engaging the inner surface thereof. As will be clear from Fig. 4, the overall width of the flaps I6 including the tab portions 19, or in other words the greatest dimension thereof in the direction parallel to the however, as will be evident from Fig. 2.

fold lines I1, is greater than the distance between the points at which each engages the rim of the tumbler in its inward swinging movement. The distance between the ends of the fold lines 28 at the free edge of each flap 16, however, is less than the distance between such points, and the length of the fold lines 11 is less than the distances across the rim of the tumbler in the vertical planes through the lines ll. Thus the tab portions l9 readily yield and fold upwardly on the fold lines 20 when they come into contact with the tumbler rim as the flaps move downwardly past the rim, and facilitate the positioning of the flaps i6 and avoid mutilation thereof. The tab portions spring back substantially into the planes of the flaps after passing the rim, although ordinarily they do not return completely to these planes, being deflected outwardly somewhat as best seen in Fig. 2. This is partly because the folding stress to which they have been subjected prevents such full return, .and partly because the flaps and tab portions are so dimensioned and shaped as to provide for frictional engagement between the tab portions and the tumbler, the friction tending to hold the tab portions in the outwardly bent position. This deflection or bending of the tab portions is out of the planes of their flaps I6 is relatively slight. The shape and dimensions of the flaps it may be so chosen as to result in substantially greater deflection of the tab portions than that shown, but

in general it is preferable that the deflection be as small as possible. It should be evident that the flaring shape of the flaps H5 in the instant case is provided to correspond substantially to the curvature resulting from the barrel shape of the tumbler I, so as to obtain good engagement with the tumbler, and that the flaps may be otherwise shaped to correspond to the inner surface of open-ended articles of other shapes. It will also be evident that the flaps may be formed for other than frictional engagement with the open end of a tumbler or other open-ended article. Thus, notches or shoulders may be pro vided in the flap edges to engage over the rim of the article and hold it against substantial movement from its desired position.

The length of the flaps !6, i. e., the distance from the fold lines H to the free edges, is in the present case of course suificient to assure that the flaps will extend into the tumbler, and in any event is such that the apertures provided by displacing the flaps from the plane of the top wall I2 are of sufficient size to permit insertion therethrough of a thumb and finger partially into the carton, as indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 2. This permits the handle portion 2| to be grasped for carrying the filled carton in an easy, unstrained, and natural manner. It will be readily apparent that although the handle portion 2! may be grasped whether the flaps is are folded inwardly or outwardly, the flaps l6 tend to impart greater rigidity to the portion 2i when folded inwardly because the flaps themselves are more rigid due to the engagement of their ends with the tumbler. In either event, however, the flaps l8 and the apertures they provide cooperate with the handle portion 21 to provide a handle for the carton. If the material between the lines 23 be cut away, the display apertures 22 merge with the apertures provided by the flaps 96, but the construction and operation of the handle is substantially unafifected, and the same is true of the flaps as the means for positioning the open-ended article in the carton. It should be noted that the flaps need not be hinged to the handle portion 2|, and that if only the handle aspect of the invention is required, the flaps might be removed. The strengthening eiTect cf the flaps on the handle portion, however, makes it preferable that the flaps be employed and formed integral with the handle portion.

Many changes and modifications of the disclosed embodiment of the invention may be made without departing from the inventive concept, which will readily suggest themselves to those skilled in the art. It is therefore obvious that the invention is not limited to the specific details of the illustrative form disclosed herein, and it is intended that the invention be limited only as required by the scope of the appended claims, with due regard to the spirit as well as the literal Wording thereof.

Iclaim:

l. A package comprising a row of articles and a paperboard carton for holding the same, said row including an open-ended article located centrally thereof, and said carton comprising two pairs of opposed Walls defining an open-ended tube having the walls of one pair lying adjacent opposite ends of the articles, means on a wall of said one pair adjacent the end of the tube engaged with the end articles of said row to prevent movement thereof out of the tube, and a combined handle and retaining member formed from a wall of said one pair comprising a pair of elongated flaps extending longitudinally of said package spaced from each other and folded inwardly. to engage the interior of said open-ended article to prevent substantial movement thereof, the portion of said wall extending between said flaps providing a handle portion adapted to be grasped by means of the apertures provided by the folding of said flaps out of the plane of said wall.

2. A package according to claim 1 wherein each of said flaps includes a tab at each end thereof defined from the rest of its associated flap by a hinge line extending at an acute angle to the length of said package.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,829,942 Pettibone Nov. 3, 1931 1,888,855 Fuller Nov. 22, 1932 2,012,131 Kondolf Aug. 20, 1935 2,054,641 Stone Sept. 15, 1936 2,085,104 Levison June 29, 1937 2,085,827 Perreton July 6, 1937 2,090,882 Zimmerman Aug. 24, 1937 2,312,598 Sprague Mar. 2, 1943 2,387,482 Vineberg Oct. 23, 1945 2,540,065 Williamson Jan. 30, 1951 2,554,190 Hennessey May 22, 1951 2,571,833 Chidsey, Jr Oct. 16, 1951 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 549,188 Great Britain Nov. 10, 1942 

